Water consumption down

CONSERVATION: October had no rain, but residents still managed to use less.

Despite a warm October with no rain, Los Angeles residents cut their water use by 7 percent and government customers reduced theirs by 11.4 percent under a new water conservation measure that took effect in late summer.

"Water conservation is the cornerstone to our sustainable future," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who signed the tough water-conservation proposal in August.

The Department of Water and Power released figures showing that October was the 15th consecutive month that water use for single-family homes declined.

The October figure of a 7 percent reduction was the greatest single-month drop since the drought of 2002, officials said. It was also significant in that October had higher-than-normal temperatures.

The monthly figures also showed an 11.4 percent reduction by government agencies, with overall water use down by 5.4 percent for the agency.

Villaraigosa credited the savings to greater public awareness, including the deployment of drought-busters teams, which have issued 558 citations for violation of the water conservation law.

It includes a ban on watering between 9a.m. and 4 p.m., no watering down hard surfaces, not allowing water to flow into the street and requiring restaurant customers to ask for water.

DWP General Manager H. David Nahai said conservation must continue.

"Water conservation is here to stay, whether the rains come or not," he said. "There are no more rivers to tap or aqueducts to build from hundreds of miles away."